The atmosphere on the other side of the closing table was ugly. The seller was downright furious that his attorney hadn’t previously disclosed all his closing costs, and the attorney was highly dismissive of his client’s griping.

My clients and I went about completing our side of the transaction, though snippets of snideness kept intruding, such as, “I should have asked to see your diploma before I hired you,” “You are why everyone hates lawyers,” and my favorite zinger, “You act more cavalier about your clients than my King Charles Spaniel!”